Accusations of denominational meddling and the continuation of anti-LGBTQ hiring and personnel policies have led students and staff to sue members of the Seattle Pacific University board of trustees. Concerns about racial disparities, declining enrollments and giving also motivated the…
On social media, the Bible verses are flying in a debate over student loan forgiveness
Within hours of its announcement, the new White House plan to forgive $10,000 to $20,000 per person in student loan debt became a theological dividing line as much as a political one. Critics of the debt forgiveness initiative turned to…
$100 million gift to Samford is state’s largest to higher education
The largest single gift to higher education in Alabama will support student scholarships and a center for ethics and leadership at Samford University. Samford is a Baptist-affiliated school based in Birmingham. Founded in 1841, Samford currently enrolls 5,758 students in…
With declining international student populations, what makes for a sustainable seminary?
There have been many unexpected consequences of the pandemic — from continued issues surrounding supply chains to a volatile housing market. International travel understandably has been limited, but this reduction in travel also has affected the number of international students…
HBCUs urge Congress to see infrastructure funding as a justice issue
The president of a historically Black college with deep Baptist roots has joined an array of HBCU leaders to demand their under-funded institutions receive a bigger slice of the federal budget currently being drafted by Congress. Kevin Cosby of Louisville-based…
Cathedrals of learning: A lament for the liberal arts
We built grand cathedrals. The arches and vaults reached toward heaven. Cathedrals of theology, art, literature, history, music. Cathedrals for the growing of souls. But the barbarians came with their budget officers, reducing souls to earning power. They took machetes…
For universities, when it comes to LGBTQ issues, focus on student well-being
Let’s say you are on the trustee board of a Christian-affiliated university and you are trying to figure out what your school should do about its policies related to LGBTQ students. You have two conservative voices in your ears, one…
Southwestern Seminary changes name of its undergraduate college
A Southern Baptist seminary in Texas has changed the name of its undergraduate college for the second time since its founding in 2005. The new name, Texas Baptist College, carries a state feel to it, yet neither Southwestern Baptist Theological…
Judson College will close and file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
An urgent fundraising appeal late last year had appeared to save Judson College, but declining enrollment and wary creditors sealed the historic school’s fate. After 183 years of operation, the Baptist-affiliated college will file for bankruptcy protection and will not…